Current Date: 05 Sep, 2026
{{entry.title}}

JBJ Soul Kitchen: Bon Jovi's community restaurant

JBJ Soul Kitchen is a community restaurant by Jon Bon Jovi with no prices on the menu; customers donate to pay for their meals. If you are unable to donate you may do volunteer work in exchange for your family’s meal.

While Jon Bon Jovi is well-known for his musical career, very few people are aware of the good deeds he has done to improve the world. He established The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation in 2006 with the goal of assisting local initiatives to end the cycle of homelessness and poverty. The launch of JBJ Soul Kitchen, a community restaurant where those in need can eat for free, is one of the foundation’s most well-known accomplishments.

JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 1
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen

The first eatery debuted in the Red Bank region of New Jersey in October 2011. The second one began operations in 2016 close to Toms River, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 2
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen

Both establishments strive to treat people who are hungry with dignity and respect. Customers with funds and those in need are both welcome. Although there are no prices listed on the menu, those who can afford to do so are urged to donate $20, and those who are unable to do so are urged to volunteer at the establishment.

JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 3
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen
JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 4
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen

Over 105,893 meals have already been provided by JBJ Soul Kitchen. The restaurant’s website states that 54% of those meals were purchased with donations and the remaining 46% were obtained through volunteer work.

JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 5
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen
JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 6
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen

Customers are not required to make a table reservation in advance. The restaurant operates on a first-come, first-served basis, but those in financial need are given preference.

JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 7
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen
JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 8
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen

Three courses on the restaurant’s menu are influenced by regional American cuisine. Food at JBJ Soul Kitchen is delicious and nutrient-dense because the restaurant’s garden grows its own organic produce.

JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 9
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen

The eatery gave away free meals on January 21, 2019, to federal employees and their families who were impacted by the partial government shutdown.

Similar Stories
Mystery of 300-year-old mummified mermaid is being probed

Mystery of 300-year-old mummified mermaid is being probed

There is a 300-year-old mummified mermaid with 30 centimetres tall and features a human-like head, two hands with what appear to be fingernails, and its lower body that look like a fish tail. The “mermaid mummy” is being probed by Japanese scientists in an attempt to unravel the mystery of its existence.

Man uses first-class ticket to eat for free at airport's VIP lounge for almost a year

Man uses first-class ticket to eat for free at airport's VIP lounge for almost a year

A Chinese man purchased a First Class Ticket, which included admission to a VIP Lounge with free food. Over the course of a year, he rescheduled over 300 times in order to receive over 300 free dinners. When questioned, it was discovered that he is rescheduling his reservation to another date after eating. He eventually cancelled the ticket and got a full refund.

Missing Masterpiece Discovered in the Background of ‘Stuart Little’

Missing Masterpiece Discovered in the Background of ‘Stuart Little’

In 2009, Gergely Barki, an art historian, was watching the film Stuart Little (1999) when he spotted an original long-lost painting used as a prop. Called Sleeping Lady with Black Vase, this painting was the work of Hungarian avant-garde painter Róbert Berény. The painting had been considered lost after World War II.

Before "The Rock," There Was "Rocky Maivia"

Before "The Rock," There Was "Rocky Maivia"

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s first WWF persona was Rocky Maivia, a face (good guy). The audience rejected him due to his cheesy character, with chants of “Die, Rocky, die!”. After this, he became a heel (villain), referring to himself in the third person as “The Rock” and insulting the audience.

The accidentally discovery of Riace bronzes

The accidentally discovery of Riace bronzes

Stefano Mariottini was snorkeling off the coast of Monasterace near Riace in 1972 when he noticed a human hand sticking out of the sand and called the police, thinking it was a corpse. It was actually two statues of "Warriors from Riace" - 5th century BC Greek bronze statues.

The fearless Annie Lee Cooper

The fearless Annie Lee Cooper

Annie Lee Cooper was fired in 1963 after attempting to register to vote. She attempted it once more in 1965, but the sheriff ordered her to leave after prodding her in the neck with a club. She then punched him, causing him to fall to the ground. She was imprisoned before ultimately registering to vote. Following the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the sheriff was ousted and subsequently imprisoned for collaborating to transport drugs, but Annie Lee Cooper lived to reach 100 years old and bears her name to this day.

Who invented the three-point seat belt?

Who invented the three-point seat belt?

While employed by Volvo in 1959, Swidish engineer Nils Bohlin created the three-point safety belt. Volvo first had the design patented, but soon as they discovered its importance as a new safety measure, they made the patent open to everyone. Millions of lives were genuinely spared by Volvo’s gift to the world.

Story of Forrest Fenn and who he hid a bronze chest treasure full of gold and other jewels

Story of Forrest Fenn and who he hid a bronze chest treasure full of gold and other jewels

Forrest Fenn, an art dealer, hid a bronze chest full of gold and other jewels somewhere in the Rocky Mountains ten years ago. In a poem, he hinted at its location. Thousands of people tried and failed to find the treasure, which is said to be worth over a million dollars, and at least four people died in the process. In June 2020, the Fenn treasure was discovered.

Leo Grand: from homeless to mobile app developer

Leo Grand: from homeless to mobile app developer

In 2013, A young programmer offered a homeless man the choice between $100 cash or coding lessons. Leo Grand chose the lessons, and his first mobile app was “Trees for Cars," which helps drivers find carpooling partners.

'Press Your Luck' Was Hacked in 1984 by an Ice Cream Man

'Press Your Luck' Was Hacked in 1984 by an Ice Cream Man

in 1984 an contestant made it onto the game show Press Your Luck. He discovered using his stop-motion VCR that the presumed random patterns of the game board were not random and memorized the sequences. On the game he was on, he won 45 consecutive spins. winning $110,237 in cash & prizes.

China Weather Control on 2008 Olympics with missile

China Weather Control on 2008 Olympics with missile

One thing is certain: when it comes to ensuring nice weather for the world's largest party, the Chinese cannot be accused of being subtle. The Chinese government authorized the use of 1,104 cloud seeding missile launches from 4:00-11:39 p.m. on Friday night to reduce the possibility of rain ahead of the 29th Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing

Water park in japan, ocean dome: Largest indoor water park in the world

Water park in japan, ocean dome: Largest indoor water park in the world

The Seagaia Ocean Dome, located in Miyazaki, Japan, was the biggest indoor waterpark in the world. An "Ocean" six times the size of an Olympic pool, filled with 13,500 tons of unsalted, chlorinated water kept heated at 28 degrees Celsius and recognized as the largest simulated pool by the Guinness Book of World Records, measures 12,000 square meters of the sandy beach made from 600 tons of stone.